Saxon Road Green Space

The Pet Shop Boys Were Right

2011-06-21T20:14:00.000+01:00

When they said ‘left to their own devices they can become a party animal’; the Greenspace is a wonderful constantly improving Brownfield habitat. The ingredients of bare ground, wild flowers, an edging of trees, a surrounding cocktail of undergrowth, some light and space, mixed with the early fine weather produce a recipe for inner city wildlife success.

The early sunshine (remember April) created a flush of insects, greatly benefiting local bats and sparrows. If the space was heavily built on, for example, industrial units, their populations would be suppressed due to poor air quality and a lack of varied grasslands. This is thought to be the reason behind their nationally declining numbers.

The railway corridor from Narrowways helps the flora and fauna migrate through the St Werburghs landscape, and must be partly responsible for attracting Bullfinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches ( a group of Goldfinches is called a Charm), and Long Tailed Tits to the localised area.

The Holly Blue Butterfly has been emerging from the site; this species has a complex development involving a symbiotic relationship with red ants. This is a strong indication of biodiversity. The ants carry the butterfly larvae or chrysalis to their nests where they develop. It is an uplifting sight to see them flying from plant to plant to lay their eggs.

The adult butterfly’s feed on the bramble blossom, producing offspring that prefer Holly in the spring and Ivy in the autumn, but it will eat bramble and other shrubs in necessary.

The early fine weather provided a huge boost for Bumblebee Queens, giving them a good start to create their nectar pots to start their new colonies; visiting back gardens to find exotic blooms, heathers and spring flowers. Bumblebee’s look for nectar within a mile radius of their nests. Four or five species have nests alongside the greenspace.

One of the bee species spotted visiting the area is a Tree Bumblebee. This arrived in the UK from mainland Europe in 2001, its preferred nesting area is holes in trees, but its behavior is adapting and it will nest in little outside nooks and crannies, it is one to look out for. It will feature on the notice board when the Rosebay Willow herb produces its annual blaze of colour on the site.

So, every little bit helps to attract and boost numbers of these creatures. If they are not around and about us we will loose something of ourselves.

Jerry

Calendar of Wild Trespassers

2010-10-19T10:32:00.001+01:00

Once again Saxon Road Green Space and its surrounding have invaders trying to flourish, using the site without permission. It began four weeks later than usual on a cold February evening next to the site.

Arriving together in force hopped the frogs, despite battling their biggest threat to date, the Rano-Virus. This is a virus that substantially affects their immune system. As the frogspawn filled the shallows a trickle of Palmate and Smooth Newts emerged from their deep hibernation. They quickly swelled in numbers, like lunchtime office workers getting their coffee fix at the farmers market.

Then wakening from deep hiding came the male big boys of the Newt world. Brushing past the emerging crocus on the 24th Feb, possibly from up to 500 metres away the Great Crested Newts wearing their impressive outfits of flashing silver tails, yellow finger nails and sawlike crests. They positioned themselves on the most prominent vantage points ready to waft pheromones at the females with their tails to get the pond party started. In the air above Goldfinches were checking out nest sites, waiting for the catkins of the Goatwillow to bloom to use as nest lining. Frost protected by design these early blooms were a hive of activity and a bee magnet.

Royalty took to the air on the 4th March. The only family members of this species to survive the winter, one of the star pin-ups of the calendar, the White Tailed Bumblebee Queen. Searching out potential early blooms whilst looking for potential nest holes. Her offspring must have been impressed by the Rose Bay Willowherb flower show on site this year, it carpeted the frontage of the site.

The developing grassland gave many insects a boost this year, to the benefit of indicator species such as the Pipistrelle Bats that skirt the site silently along the treelined fringes.

Red Ants have been busy excavating hills in the shorter grassland, maybe next year Blue Butterflies will be added to the diary as they live hand in hand with them in the larva stages.

Sparrows took advantage of the insect and seeds on the open ground and were chattering away in the bushes.

As we approach the end of the calendar year Great Crested Newts are fattening themselves up for torpor. Some Emphs (newt tadpoles) still in the ponds will have to overwinter in them to complete their development when the cycle starts again in the Spring.

All being well the rich and varied list will be longer, without the use of the words Industrial Units and tarmac.

Jerry

Wild Pockets

2010-10-19T10:23:00.000+01:00

Just to get our saddle in the door to keep the Green Space green has been a long time consuming effort by so many different people.

So what the point? We’ve got parks, most of us have gardens, we seem to be surrounded by nice countryside, why is it so important in inner-city St Werburghs? It’s obvious. It would be lovely living near a pocket nature reserve linked to a comprehensive network of others in the city, where people can enjoy spiritual sustenance and recreation amongst the wild flowers.

Well, we all carry on, reading about the world in the grip of mass plant and animal extinction. If we light a small green candle instead of cursing the darkness and change our thinking and attitude towards city nature, the benefits to us are high and mighty.
It would be nice not to add NDD (Nature Deficit Disorder) to a growing list of ailments. In a society where more is better and consumption is rewarded, on this occasion it would be true to say that ‘every little helps’.

I’m no eco-warrior angel, but recent research shows that bees can distinguish individual human faces. I’m hoping to be looked at by them in a good light. Even though they have been around for 130 million years, it is vital to create as many quality wild pockets in the city as possible.

Jerry

Drawing Inspiration

2010-09-24T19:52:00.002+01:00

To coincide with the St Werburghs Arts Trail 2010, from 11am on Sunday 26th September members of Saxon Road Green Space will be setting out drawing boards and drawing materials at the corner of Saxon Road and Warminster Road. We'd like to encourage residents and Arts Trail explorers to take a moment to draw their ideas of what they would like to see happen on the Green Space site. So if you're passing, you're welcome to join in!

Meet Us and Sarah Pugh!

2010-09-06T17:17:00.002+01:00

We warmly invite you to join us for an informal, inspiring evening with Sarah Pugh of Bristol Permaculture and Shift Bristol.

Tuesday 14th September, 7.30pm onward at St Werburghs Community Centre, Horley Road, St Werburghs.

We are a group of local residents working to transform the wasteland at the corner of Warminster Road and Saxon Road into a green space for us all to enjoy.

In May 2010 we held a public event at the Community Centre where we displayed a range of plans and possibilities for the site, and lots of local people came along to give their views and advice.

Over the summer we have been meeting regularly to work on ways forward. This evening will be an opportunity for us to hear from Sarah about some of the urban green spaces and community gardens she has been involved with, including a slideshow.

We hope you can join us.

Evening Post

2010-07-22T08:54:00.002+01:00

There's an article about us in The Evening Post!

You can read it here...

and it's copied on the St Werburghs website here.

Welcome!

2010-07-07T12:09:00.003+01:00

Please help us to transform the wasteland at the corner of Warminster Road and Saxon Road into a green space for us all to enjoy!

You can sign our online petition here.

We are a group of residents in St Werburghs, Bristol. We are setting ourselves up as a legal body so that we can apply for funding. We are also looking at ways to involve the wider community.

If you want to be kept up to date you can keep visiting this blog (or sign up to our RSS feed), follow us on Twitter or become friends with us on Facebook (in progress...stay tuned!)...or drop us a note of support SaxonRoadGreenSpace@gmail.com or BS2GreenSpace@gmail.com.